Supertones founder Jason Carson shares his stories from the road, and why the Supertones are on the ReUnite tour.

Supertones founder Jason Carson shares his stories from the road, and why the Supertones are on the ReUnite tour.

What inspired the group to get back together for these reunion shows?

We wanted to go out one more time for the glory of God. Back in the day, so often we’d get caught up in focusing on all the wrong things, and we thought, “What if we went out and put the whole spotlight on Jesus, and encouraged people to live for the Lord like never before?” And we got really excited about that.

How do you feel the group works together this time around?

Better than ever! Funny thing- we take all this time off and haven’t really all played together in almost 10 years, and we’re tighter than ever. It’s as if we’ve all matured and understand a little better that being in control, locking in tightness, and the wholeness of a song is more important than just jamming for ourselves. I think that’s the difference.

Are there any plans to head back into the studio, and if so, what are you guys working on?

Not currently. One day at a time!

How did you choose the songs for the new “Re-Unite” compilation and how does this disc differ from your past hits collections?

We basically used the 12 songs that we’re playing in order for most of our summer reunion shows! It’s an awesome CD… in an awesome order!

Looking back on the past, what are you most proud of from a musical perspective and also a ministry perspective?

We’re still shocked that God would use guys like us for anything at all… Let alone on this level. It’s very humbling. We’ve got to tour the world, play on some really big levels, with music we love, and all the while… With our best friends in the world. Kind of cool! Ministry wise, we are SO blessed to see every single night people coming to Christ, people drawing near to God, the church worshipping, and basically people getting on fire. That’s what it’s always been about.

In your opinion, how was the group able to earn so much mainstream credibility in addition to notoriety in the Christian market?

No clue. We’re still surprised at that one. Like everything, we give full credit to God – because if it were up to us and our efforts… Oh man…

What are your fondest mainstream crossover memories?

Well, every time it’s great. Jesus came to seek the lost, and I hope that was a huge part of our mission. We’ve got to share with some pretty rowdy crowds- our favorite was probably this bar in Germany where we played in front of a bunch of skinhead gangs. They loved our music so much! It was one of the coolest concerts we’ve ever performed, and then when I got up to share the Gospel I thought a riot was going to break out! They did NOT want me to talk, they just wanted more music. Tons of profanities, threats, middle fingers… I thought they were going to start chucking beer bottles at our heads! And so I said, “Hey, if you guys let me talk for just 2 minutes, we’ll play more songs. But if not, we’re done playing music, …because to us, we flew all the way across the world for this very reason, and nothing matters more to us than this.” And the second I said that, this big skin head guy yelled across the whole place, “Shut the **** up, let him talk!” And you could hear a pin drop! Even though I needed a new pair of underwear, I went on to tell that crowd about a God who was dying to know them and about salvation through the risen Christ. The Spirit of God was so powerful in that place- many people heard and believed! I’ll never forget after I shared, I went behind the drums and we played our next song. Tears rolled down my face as I played and sang along, “Who Can Be Against Me?…. NO ONE!!!”

What are the O.C. Supertones’ goals at this stage of your career?

As far as future plans go, we have no idea. Originally, we just wanted to get together and play 10 summer shows. It turned into 13, and it’s pretty difficult to juggle Supertones, our careers, our ministries, and most importantly our families. So we’ll take it one day at a time and see what God does. But hey, the goal of the Supertones is, and has always, and will always be… To preach the Gospel, reach your heart, and ska ska ska ska!